How to Squeeze in a Full-Body Workout in Just 10 Minutes
Come July, it's hot as hell outside. While there are loads of things you'd rather do in the summer months than workout (i.e. drink on rooftops), those beach muscles won't tone themselves. But you don't need to spend a long time working out, especially on hot days when dehydration is a serious risk. Short bursts of intense activity, called high intensity interval training (HIIT), can offer great results. In fact, even though a HIIT workout can take half the time of your normal routine, you can reap health benefits similar to those from endurance activities, like improved heart function, maximal aerobic capacity, and overall power. Cue Usain Bolt-level explosiveness.
"With limited resources, you can get a full-body workout outside, in a short amount of time, just using your bodyweight," says Matt Delaney, CSCS and Equinox Tier X Coach. "I like to hit every plane of motion and every kind of joint action in my short-burst workouts to keep it well-rounded."
Here, Delaney offers us a 10-minute summer workout guaranteed to give you a total body blast. A word to the wise: Don't forget to warm-up appropriately with some reaching movements and even a light jog to keep your body loose.
Do each movement for 1 minute, as many reps as possible; repeat circuit once for a total of 10 minutes.
Beast Crawl
Start on all fours with hips stacked over knees, shoulders stacked over wrists. Lift knees one inch off the ground and begin to crawl forward with them lifted, maintaining a neutral spine. Crawl forward for 10 paces, then return to start by going backward.
Trainer tip: "Let the limbs lift and land at the same time with each step."
Side Kick-Through
Start on all fours with hips stacked over knees, shoulders stacked over wrists. Lift knees one inch of the ground. Putting your weight into your left hand, pick up your left foot and kick it through toward your right side, bringing your right elbow back and pivoting on your right foot so that your stomach is facing upward. Return to start for one rep; repeat on the other side.
Trainer tip: "Keep the moving leg one inch off the ground as it travels under and through to the finishing position. Also, be sure to push the floor away from you with the grounded arm to stabilize the scapula. This will help you find control between phases."
Ice Skater
Stand with your weight on your right foot and your right knee bent. Lift your left leg off the floor behind you. Now, bound to your left by pushing off with your right leg. Land on the left foot with your knee slightly bents, lifting your right leg off the floor behind you. Continue hopping back and forth. If you need help balancing, you can touch your back foot to the floor.
Trainer tip: "Focus on stabilizing and finding your balance when landing on the single leg, and only push off as far as you can control."
Dive Bomber Push-Up
Start in downward dog. Lower your shoulders toward the floor. Before your chin or chest hits the floor, swoop your body forward so that your chest ends up facing forward, your back arched, head up, and arms straight. Return to start for one rep.
Trainer tip: "Let the head really sink in between the arms in the starting downward dog. Also, push the floor away from you to keep the ears away from the shoulders in the finish position."
Sprinter Starts
Start in a runner's stance with left leg in front with right leg bent 90 degrees at the knee. Push off of your left leg to jump into the air, using your arms to propel you upward and lifting your right knee up toward the chest. Return back to start for one rep. Do 10 continuous reps on this leg, then switch sides.
Trainer tips: "Be sure to keep the front heel grounded before each rep to ensure you can activate the posterior chain."
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